Ultraviolet B Irradiance and Vitamin D Status are Inversely Associated With Incidence Rates of Pancreatic Cancer Worldwide

Abstract : Approximately 232,000 new cases and 227,000 deaths occur worldwide annually from pancreatic cancer, including 37,700 cases and 34,200 deaths in the US alone. The possibility that Vitamin D might play a role in the etiology of pancreatic cancer was raised by studies showing that populations living at higher latitudes, or having lower prediagnostic serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels, have higher incidence rates of various cancers. Countries with lower UVB irradiance had higher incidence rates of pancreatic cancer in both hemispheres, with occasional exceptions.